Leila Aliyeva meets with head of Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive - PHOTO
Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leila Aliyeva met with a delegation visiting the country led by the head of the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive, Archbishop Monsignor Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi.
As AZERTAC reports, the meeting discussed existing areas of cooperation between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Vatican, including directions for future activities.
It should be noted that cooperation between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive has been ongoing since 2012.
The meeting discussed prospects for developing existing cooperation between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive, projects and initiatives planned for future implementation, as well as the execution of joint projects in the field of digital preservation of the Vatican archive collections.
Head of the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive Archbishop Monsignor Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, recalling that First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva visited the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive during her visit to the Holy See last year, noted that broad cooperation has been established over the years between Azerbaijan and the Vatican, as well as with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
The guest reported that during his visit to Azerbaijan, a number of meetings were held in various institutions, and the discussions focused on the identification, analysis, translation, and digitization of rare manuscripts related to Azerbaijan stored in the Vatican collections.
It was noted that, under the cooperation between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive, and in accordance with the existing agreement on the restoration and digitization of manuscripts, significant manuscripts related to the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, as well as the heritage of Turkic-speaking peoples, have been restored and digitized.
In accordance with the memorandum of understanding signed last year between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, and the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive, a delegation of Azerbaijani scholars is planned to conduct research in the Vatican in 2026. The research will cover materials on the history of the South Caucasus and Azerbaijan, as well as diplomatic relations between the rulers of the Aq Qoyunlu and Safavids with the Popes of Rome.
At the same time, possibilities for future training of Azerbaijani students in the Vatican in the fields of library and archival science were discussed.
During the meeting, an Azerbaijani carpet was presented as a gift to the Vatican delegation. The guests, in turn, presented a copy of a document from the early 20th century stored in the Vatican archive, related to the history of Azerbaijan.
Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leila Aliyeva and Head of the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive Archbishop Monsignor Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi also viewed exhibitions at the Heydar Aliyev Center. During the visit to the classic car exhibition, Director of the Heydar Aliyev Center and President of the Automobile Federation of Azerbaijan Anar Alakbarov provided the guest with detailed information about cars from various periods. The guests then viewed the exhibition "My Seas, My Oceans," which calls for the protection of water resources.
It should be noted that the exhibition, organized on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the IDEA Public Union (International Dialogue for Environmental Action), features works by contemporary artists reflecting a range of global issues—from pollution and overfishing to the loss of biodiversity. In the works, water is depicted as a source of life, renewal, and imagination.
